Fire & Beauty
by Raeinspace
Summary: Maleficent/Belle pairing, title may change. Belle is working in the library. She has been warned not to use the lift, there is a dragon in the basement. Still, she is curious and finds a way to talk to her. When Maleficent answers, is she just trying to make Belle break the rules or does she really feel something for the book-lover?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, etc...**

* * *

Belle was re-shelving the latest returns in the library when she heard the noise. Emma had warned her about the dragon in the basement when she first re-opened the building, but this was the first time she had heard anything from down there. They hadn't forbidden her from entering the lift, or from going down into the basement, but she knew that had been implied. Why would they expect a quiet little bookworm to want to see a dragon? They were dangerous.

Belle tiptoed over to the lift. She pushed back the fake wall hiding it and studied the buttons. It looked as though a second person was required to operate the lift from out here, but because there wasn't anyone she could ask for help she would have to find another way.

Before she realised what she was doing, her hand reached out and she pressed the intercom. If she couldn't go down there, perhaps she could talk to the creature.

"Hello."

There was silence as she released the button and waited for a reply. She wondered if the dragon was even awake.

_"One more try, then that's it." _She told herself.

"Hello, can you hear me?"

She waited a few minutes, shook her head in disappointment and hid the lift again. Perhaps there wasn't a dragon. Or if there was, maybe it wasn't intelligent enough to understand how to use the intercom. Would its claws damage the buttons?

Belle returned to the book section where she had been working, trying to remember if she had seen any books on dragons.

* * *

Maleficent opened her eyes as the voice whispered through her prison. It sounded so soft and young. She had been half-expecting a visit from Regina.

The voice called out again. She couldn't believe that it was meant for her. Regina never allowed her visitors. She wondered if the voice had a name. So she listened for a while, waiting for it to say something else. Once again she was left in silence. _Ah well, _she thought to herself, _it had been nice not to feel so alone for a moment_.

She closed her eyes and drifted back off to sleep. That was the best part of her dragon form. She could sleep without growing hungry or aging. Time could pass by and she wouldn't be aware of it. Of course, if anything dared to enter her territory her instincts would wake her and she would be ready to protect herself.

* * *

"How's it going?" Ruby asked, leaning back against the librarian's desk as she spoke to Belle.

"Really well. It's almost organised the way I want it. The school's going to bring the children in one class at a time so we can set them up with their own library cards. On Wednesday's they're going to hold readings for the younger ones, and Mary Margaret thinks we could hold a book club for the adults one evening a month."

Ruby smiled at her enthusiasm. "I meant with you."

"Oh." Belle returned her smile. "I'm still getting used to this world."

"Gold giving you any trouble?"

"I've agreed to meet him for lunch."

"So you really like him, then?"

The question made Belle reach for the nearest book. It was comforting holding it in her hands. She pretended to re-shelve it without looking at the title. If it was in the wrong place she could always move it later.

"Not in that way, no."

"I heard you knew him in the other land."

"That's right."

Ruby blushed and looked away first. "Sorry, Granny tells me I need to think before I speak. I didn't mean anything by it…"

"I agreed to be his housekeeper." Belle's voice was forgiving. "He was the only one who could save our kingdom and I wanted to see new places."

When Ruby looked back, Belle was standing nearby, holding out a book towards her. "What's this?"

"Try it, I think you'll like it."

"I don't really…"

"Two chapters, promise you'll at least try it that far." Belle pressed it into her hands.

"Have you read it?" Ruby asked, turning it over to read the back cover.

"I'm the librarian. Trust me. After all, I had to trust you when I first came to eat at the diner."

Ruby laughed. "That's true. Two chapters?"

Belle smiled and nodded, suddenly feeling shy around her.

Ruby hung around a little longer, telling her about her life when Granny in the Enchanted Forest. When it was time for her to get back to the diner, she thanked Belle for the book and reminded her to stop by for a hot chocolate when she had closed up for the day.

Once she had gone, Belle took her time opening a few more boxes of books, which had been stored away during the curse. She read the back of each book, turning through the first couple of pages if it sounded interesting, then placing them on her trolley ready to find them a new home among the shelves. When she came across one book, she had an idea.

She walked over to the intercom, pushing the trolley against the button to hold it down and opened the book to the first page. As she began reading, she pictured the dragon in the basement opening its eyes and beginning to listen to her. She imagined its appearance was similar to the Yaoguai she had once faced. Only larger, and with wings. She became so caught up in reading the story that she was nearly halfway through the book before she realised the time.

With a little regret, she pulled the trolley away from the intercom and closed the book. She waited, just in case the dragon made any more noise, but there was only silence once again.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I know, it's been ages since I posted something. Sorry, have some ideas for new stories (Rizzoli &amp; Isles with a Miss Fisher Murder Mystery crossover) but I haven't written a lot of crime stories (or anything much for those books/shows), but having more of a reading than writing month at the moment. With Nano started I should get more writing done soon. Hope you enjoy...**

* * *

Maleficent dragged her claws over her ears, stretching the places between her scales, but the echoing effect of her prison stopped her from blocking out the noise. The kind voice, with its irritating story of happiness, was worse than the silence had been. Did she not realise that there were no happy endings. That real life was dark and depressing and filled with betrayal and heartache….but perhaps the ending would have brought some element of misery? Maybe some great tragedy would befall the characters…

_How dare the girl begin a story and not finish it! _She snorted her annoyance, sending tendrils of smoke out through her nose. Huge eyes turned to look upwards, wondering if she was still there.

Over the years she had discovered that her fire couldn't damage anything outside of her prison. The walls had turned grey with ash, there were black scorch marks on the stones, but however great the fire she produced, the prison stood firm. Even the doors next to the voice box remained the same.

She closed her eyes intending to sleep again, but all she could see were images from the story.

* * *

Belle smiled as she pulled the cord to close the blinds and shut out the sunlight. She turned the sign in the glass on the door and turned the lock from the inside. With the library closed she could spend a little more time working on her personal project: reading to the dragon.

After five chapters, her voice began to give out and her stomach grumbled for food. She marked the page, closed the book and called out a goodbye to the dragon as she reached for her coat.

Her hand was on the lock when she thought she heard a noise. It had been a week since she had started reading to the dragon. She worried that someone would find her and think she was reading aloud to herself. They all knew she had been trapped alone for twenty-eight years and that they were concerned she would start feeling low. She reminded herself that the dragon had been trapped for the same length of time, perhaps longer in confinement from the other land.

Taking the risk, Belle stepped back towards the mirror, which now hid the elevator and the intercom. The tree on the wood panelling slid back at her touch and she pressed a button.

"I can't keep doing this," she muttered. "I'll drive myself mad not knowing if there's anyone even listening to me."

It was possible Emma had just been teasing her. The blonde Sheriff was known for her odd sense of humour.

Belle opened the elevator and stepped inside. She looked around trying to figure out how to operate it. It appeared that it could only be operated with the assistance of someone else waiting up the top. Sighing, she stepped back out. There had to be another way down; some stairs, perhaps?

She hadn't seen a door marked basement, but then she hadn't explored the library beyond the boxes of books and the cloakroom for her things. There was a small kitchen area in case she wanted to take her lunch breaks here, and a restroom for staff and visitors, but they were marked doors.

Twenty minutes of exploration later, Belle finally found a small hatch that led into the large cavern where Maleficent was trapped.

* * *

Maleficent tracked the strange noise. It reminded her of the sound created when she scraped her nails across metal. Moving slowly and keeping to the shadowed areas, she watched as a small square of artificial light appeared. Holding onto the flames burning at the back of her throat, Maleficent waited to see her prey. It was bound to be Regina; who else knew she was down here, or cared about her? Despite hearing the words of a young girl from above, she didn't expect it to be her. The voice must have been talking to someone else. The most likely cause was another warrior sent to try and kill her. She was still healing from the last attempt, but she would put up a fight and defeat them.

"Hello?"

Maleficent recognised the voice. She swallowed the fire and focused on the light. A face peered through, as if searching for something. For a moment, as she took in the soft hair and large, kind eyes, Maleficent forgot how to breathe.

"Is anyone in here?" Belle continued, before climbing through.

She thought she heard a noise. A small voice at the back of her mind insisted that she should be scared, but in her mind she had built the dragon up to be friendly – her imagination carried away as she read – so she called out again.

At first Belle thought her eyes were playing tricks; that the shadows were moving. Then large, bright eyes were revealed in the darkness as Maleficent came closer and she remained motionless, not wanting to scare her away. Warm air surrounded Belle as Maleficent exhaled before taking a deep breath to gather the scent of her visitor. She recognised the smell of old books, remembered the lighter one of fresh air and smiled as she dug a little deeper through the odours to find the girls unique aroma.

"My name is Belle."

Maleficent looked for a weapon, some reason for the girl to be there, but all she could see was a small lamp. She brought her tail around, tucking it between her back legs and lowered her head so her eyes were level with Belle's. Magic had finally arrived in this land, and her life had been threatened once already, but she knew this girl was no danger to her so she changed. Shrinking herself down to her human shell, the most vulnerable form, until she could see with human eyes the subtle things her dragon vision could not.

"I am Maleficent."

"I know."

"You don't fear me?"

"Should I?"

Maleficent frowned, "are you here to kill me?"

"No."

"You wouldn't be the first girl they sent. King Stefan's knights failed miserably. They thought I would be kinder if they sent female warriors."

"I'm just the librarian, up there," Belle pointed upwards. "I came down out of curiosity, mostly. You've been trapped down here for a long time, I thought you might like some company."

"I prefer being alone."

"Regina, the Queen, trapped me during the curse. I was alone for twenty-eight years too. Now that Emma has broken the curse, you could leave here if you wanted… I mean, if you promised not to destroy the town or use magic against anyone…"

Suddenly Belle remembered that Maleficent could use magic against her and unconsciously she took a step back. Maleficent matched her step, longer legs allowing her to move closer to the brunette. She looked over the girls clothes, the yellow dress bright even in the dim light and so short, and smiled.

"Tell me about Regina. Is she still alive? Who else up there has magic?"

"Um…"

"I need to know it is safe for me to leave," Maleficent coaxed, her voice soft.

"Regina is alive, and Rumplestiltskin, but they won't hurt you. They're good now."

Maleficent laughed, "the Dark One? Good? Don't lie to me."

"I mean it. He might be the Dark One, but he's trying to change – for his son."

"Anyone who believes that is a fool. We who live in darkness know once we turned away from the light we could never go back."

"People can change."

"What about dragons?"

"Even dragons."

Maleficent reached out and ran a hand over the material covering Belle's stomach, surprised at the soft material, "what if we don't want to change?"

"I don't believe that." At Maleficent's raised eyebrow she continued, "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"So brave, little one. Are you sure you're just a librarian?"

Belle reached down and pulled Maleficent's hand away, "I'm not 'just' anything."

"No, I suppose you're right. Not many dare face a dragon unarmed. Who were you that Regina had to lock you away too?"

"I was the Dark One's housekeeper," Belle raised her chin as if daring Maleficent to comment, "and I've faced dangerous creatures before. I've tracked down a Yaoguai, alone."

"Impressive. How did it feel to kill the beast?"

Belle faltered, "I didn't kill him. Magic had changed him from a prince. I used fairy dust to restore his human form."

"So he was a tame Yaoguai."

"No, he was cursed. I had to use water to subdue him, that's when I discovered the truth."

"And this prince, I suppose he turned out to be your True Love? Are you living happily ever after with him now? Did he save you from the Dark One?"

"He wasn't my True Love, no, and no-one had to save me from Rumplestiltskin."

The more the brunette spoke, the more interested Maleficent became. She stroked the back of her hand against Belle's cheek, watching the way the young woman's eyes widened.

"A Yaoguai and the Dark One. There must be something you fear?"

"I'm not afraid of you."

Maleficent smiled and leaned in closer to whisper, "I can hear your heart racing. There is an adorable colour filling your cheeks. Are you sure you aren't planning to run away from me?"

"You won't hurt me," Belle stood her ground, though this time she didn't try to stop the dragon from touching her.

Maleficent brought her hand down to Belle's arm, watching the shiver as she traced her fingers over the cool skin, "why did you really come down here?"

"I told you, I was curious."

"If I let you go, will you come back?"

"Aren't you going to leave?"

"Perhaps."

"Then why does it matter whether I return?"

Maleficent placed her face close enough to Belle's that the tips of their noses touched, "answer the question."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'll want to see you again."

Belle tilted her head and kissed the blonde before she could react.


End file.
